Magnetic nozzle radiofrequency plasma thruster approaching twenty percent thruster efficiency

Ultra-Low Power Stationary Plasma Thruster

Preliminary results are presented for the operation of a very low power stationary plasma thruster. The thruster design is co-axial, with a 0.5 mm channel width and 4 mm outer channel diameter and is intended to be approximately 1/100 the scale of a typical 1 kW thruster. The magnetic circuit employs a permanent magnet core generating a peak magnetic field of ~ 10 kG. Successful operation is ac...

Numerical investigation of a Hall thruster plasma

The dynamics of the Hall thruster is investigated numerically in the framework of a one-dimensional, multifluid macroscopic description of a partially ionized xenon plasma using finite element formulation. The model includes neutral dynamics, inelastic processes, and plasma–wall interaction. Owing to disparate temporal scales, ions and neutrals have been described by set of time-dependent equat...

One-dimensional Models of Stationary Plasma Thruster

A stationary plasma thruster (SPT, or Hall Thruster) is an electromagnetic thruster whose properties make it especially suitable for applications such as satellite station-keeping. Fig. 1 represents schematically the geometry of the SPT. Xenon is injected from the anode (rate on the order of 5mg/s), at the end of the dielectric cylinders and on the cathode side, outside the cylinders. We are ma...

Nanosecond optical imaging spectroscopy of an electrothermal radiofrequency plasma thruster plume

Direct Measurement of Axial Momentum Imparted by an Electrothermal Radiofrequency Plasma Micro-Thruster

Gas flow heating using radio frequency plasmas offers the possibility of depositing power in the center of the flow rather than on the outside, as is the case with electro-thermal systems where thermal wall losses lower efficiency. Improved systems for space propulsion are one possible application and we have tested a prototype micro-thruster on a thrust balance in vacuum. For these initial tes...